Aug 6 Family Motto in Silhouette Vinyl

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! I want to share a project I created using my Silhouette.

First off, I make no secret about my undying love for patterned paper. I collect it, and find much of it too pretty to actually cut up. So I have some framed. But I wanted to take this framed patterned paper idea one step further and add some custom artwork above it. Shall we? Let's go!

Silhouette vinyl project by Jessica Sprague

Silhouette vinyl project by Jessica Sprague

So. One Ikea frame. One gorgeous sheet of patterned paper. Check.

Step 1: Create the Graphic in Photoshop

And the next step is Photoshop. (I can't tell you how many times I have actually said this in my life. The next step is, in so many cases in life, going to Photoshop.)

To create the graphic I wanted something that could be a family motto - something we could see every day and remember, this is us!

After I was happy with the graphic, I saved it as a .png file - it looks like this:

Cute, right? I hope you like it! You can download this graphic here in a minute if you want to use it!

Step 2: Trace and Cut

So I opened the .png file in the Silhouette Studio software, and used the Trace function to create the actual cutting lines. Slap some black Silhouette vinyl on the cutting mat, press cut, and go!

Step 3: Transfer and Peel

After cutting, the vinyl needs to be transferred from its backing paper to your project. Now Silhouette has transfer paper - the idea being that you can stick the FRONT of your vinyl onto the transfer paper, peel off the sticky back of the vinyl, and then stick the vinyl to your surface. Kind of a one-two-switch. But I have found for myself that for little cuts like this, it often works just to peel the vinyl (carefully) from its backing and stick it down to the glass, and THEN start working on pulling all the excess away from the cutout. The little fiddly bits stay stuck better, so it's easier to peel the outsides off without disturbing them.

The peeling off of all the little extra vinyl - especially around the script and the little swirls - was by far the most time-consuming part. But it turned out so GREAT! I'm super happy with it!

Alright, friend! If you would like to create this (or even just print that quote and frame it), I've included both the .png file and the pre-traced Silhouette cutting file in this download. Grab it!

Sale & Giveaway!

Oh, I almost forgot! (Ha! I never did.) I have an awesome giveaway! And a great sale to announce! Here it is! Grab a Silhouette Cameo on sale, and BOGO on vinyl colors. Go now! Use my name and tell them I sent you. ;)